Apparatus for reclaiming oil



1967 s. A. BOETTCHER 7 3,338,413

I APPARATUS FOR RECLAIMING OIL Filed Aug. 17, 1964 5) a 06] 666A v a 12030 q Q HI INVENTOR. 622207287? @boez'fifien BY M17 MW,

United States Patent 3,338,413 APPARATUS FOR RECLAIMING OIL Stephen A. Boettcher, Deerfield, Ill., assignor to Speedfam Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 389,969 6 Claims. (Cl. 21086) My present invention relates generally to an apparatus for separating liquid from a mixture of liquid and foreign particles, and more particularly to an apparatus for reclaiming oil from a mixture of oil, abrasive particles and metal particles collected from the work station of a machine tool as, for example, the lapping disc of a lapping machine.

In the operation of a machine tool such as a lapping machine, a freely flowing mixture of abrasive particles and an oil carrier is fed to the lapping disc thereof. As this mixture flows from the lapping disc it carries with it metal particles that have been removed from work pieces being lapped. Due to the presence of the metal particles in the mixture, subsequent use of the mixture impairs the efliciency of the lapping operation. Depending on the work loads, the mixture whether recycled or not eventually becomes unsuitable for further use. In this connection, not only is disposal of the used mixture in bulk wasteful, but also the mechanics of storage and disposal are costly. Since the oil represents about 90 percent by volume of the used mixture, reclaiming of the oil from the used mixture has been suggested. But, heretofore, proposed attempts of reclaiming the oil from the used mixture, including filtering or centrifuging, have proved inefiicient and impractical.

It is an object of my present invention to provide an apparatus for separating oil from a mixture of oil and foreign particles, wherein a container is filled with the mixture, the foreign particles are permitted to settle to the bottom of the container, and a predetermined volume of oil is withdrawn from the top portion of the container.

It is another object of my present invention to provide an apparatus for separating oil from a mixture of oil and foreign particles, as described, wherein, after oil has been withdrawn from the top portion of the container, the container is refilled with an additional amount of mixture, the foreign particles are permitted to settle from the additional amount of mixture toward the bottom of the container, and additional predetermined volume of oil is withdrawn from the top portion of the container.

It is another object of my present invention to provide an apparatus for separating oil from a mixture of oil and foreign particles, as described, wherein the point of withdrawal of oil is located intermediate of the top and bottom of the container, and the steps of refilling the container with an additional amount of mixture and permitting the foreign particles to settle therefrom toward the bottom of the container and withdrawing an additional predetermined volume of oil from the top portion of the container are repeated until the level of the settled foreign particles rises to approximately the point of withdrawal of the oil.

It is a further object of my present invention to provide an apparatus for separating oil from a mixture of oil and foreign particles, as described, wherein the mixture collected from the lapping disc of a lapping machine is conveyed through conduit means, which has pump means interposed therein, to the container, and float means is mounted at the upper end of the container for actuating switch means and thereby operating signal means when the mixture within the container rises to a predetermined level.

It is a further object of my present invention to provide an apparatus for separating oil from a mixture of oil and foreign particles, as described, wherein the container 'ice is comprised of an open top drum and an annular crown attached thereto, the point of withdrawal of the oil is located adjacent the lower end of the crown, and the crown is removed from the drum when the level of the settled foreign particles rises to the top of the drum and after oil has been withdrawn from the crown.

Now in order to acquaint those skilled in the art with the manner of constructing and using apparatus in accordance with the principles of my present invention, I shall describe in connection with the accompanying drawing, a preferred embodiment of my invention.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of my present invention associated with a lapping machine shown in perspective;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of a portion of the apparatus of my present invention shown in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a series of schematic views showing various stages in the separation of oil from a mixture of oil and foreign particles in accordance with the principles of my present invention.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, there is indicated generally by the reference numeral 10 a typical lapping machine which a freely flowing mixture of abrasive particles and an oil carrier is used during the lapping operation. The lapping machine 10 comprises a framework including a tubular base or housing 12 which provides support for a horizontal annular lapping disc 14 and a staging table 15 surrounding the lapping disc. Selective rotation of the lapping disc 14 about a vertical axis is effected by suitable drive means (not shown) mounted within the housing 12. Suitably secured to the opposite sides of the housing 12 are lower ends of vertical columns 16. Extending between the upper ends of the columns 16,

above the lapping disc 14, is a horizontal bridge mem ber 18 provided with transverse arms 20 which number four in the particular lapping machine herein disclosed. Mounted at the outer ends of each of the transverse arms 20 is a vertical pneumatic piston and cylinder assembly indicated generally by the reference numeral 22. Each of the pneumatic assemblies 22 includes a cylinder 24 and a piston rod 26. The lower ends of the piston rods 26 are secured to horizontal pressure plates (not shown) which fit, with slight clearance, within truing and retaining rings 28 engage-able with the lapping disc 14. When the lapping disc 14 is rotated, the truing rings 28 rotate relative to the pressure plates about the axes defined by the piston rods 26 whereby to dress the lapping disc 14 for maintenance of its planar condition. When work pieces (not shown) are confined within the truing rings 28 below the pressure plates therein, and the lapping disc 14 is rotated, a freely flowing mixture of abrasive particles and an oil carrier is fed to the lapping disc 14 through discharge tubes 30. The mixture flowing from the lapping disc 14, which carries with it met-a1 particles that have been removed from work pieces being lapped, is collected within the housing 12 and conveyed outwardly thereof through a drain tube 32.

I shall now describe the apparatus of my present invention for reclaiming oil from a mixture of oil, abrasive particles and metal particles collected from the work station of a machine tool as, for example, the lapping disc 14 of the lapping machine 10. This apparatus, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, includes a container, ind-icated generally by the reference numeral 34, which is comprised of an open top drum 36 having a radially outwardly extending rim 38 at the upper end thereof, and an annular crown 40 having a radial ring flange 42 welded or otherwise secured to the lower edge thereof. The crown 40 is of substantially the same diameter as the drum 36 and in normal operative position is disposed coaxially of the drum with the longitudinal axis thereof disposed vertically. The lower face of the ring flange 42 is formed with an annular recess conforming generally to the top surface of the rim 38 of the drum 36. The ring flange 42 of the crown 40 is adapted to be secured to the rim 38 of the drum 36 by means of a plurality of circurnferentially spaced C-shaped screw clamps 44. Interposed between the ring flange 42, and the drum rim 38 is a sealing gasket 45. Extending through, and sealed within, the wall of the crown 40 adjacent the lower end thereof is conduit means 46 which may be formed of interfitting pipe sections and couplings. The conduit means 46 has an inlet at its inner end located interiorly of the drum 36 below the plane of the upper end of the latter and has an outlet at its outer end exteriorly of the drum 36 below the horizontal plane of the inlet. By reason of the vertical spacing between the inlet and outlet of the conduit means 46 the latter is adapted to serve as a siphon. A suitable hand operated valve 48 is mounted at the outlet end of the conduit means 46.

Referring now to the schematic views of FIGURE 3, I shall describe the manner of using the apparatus of my present invention. After the crown 40 has been secured to an open top drum 36 to form a container 34, a mixture 50 of oil and foreign particles is introduced into the container 34 until the latter is filled as shown in the first view of FIGURE 3. Then, the foreign particles 52 are permitted to settle from the mixture to the bottom of the container as shown in the second view of FIGURE 3, leaving oil 54 in the remainder of the container. Next, the. valve 48 is opened and the volume or quantity of oil 54 within the crown 40 and a portion of the drum 36 is withdrawn through the conduit means 46, the level of the oil 54 remaining in the container thereby being lowered to the level of the inlet of the conduit means 46 as shown in FIGURE 2 and in the third view of FIGURE 3. At this time, the container is refilled with an additional amount of mixture 50 as shown in the fourth view of FIGURE 3, and the foreign particles 52 are permitted to settle from the mixture toward the bottom of the container. As a consequence, the level of the foreign particles 52 at the bottom of the container is raised as shown in the fifth and last View of FIGURE 3, again leaving oil 54 in the remainder of the container. In the final step of the cycle, an additional volume of oil 54 within the crown 40 and a portion of the drum 36 is withdrawn through the conduit means 46 whereupon the level of the oil 54 remaining in the container falls to the level of the inlet of the conduit means 46 as shown in FIGURE 2. The foregoing steps of refilling the container with mixture 50, permitting the foreign particles 52 to settle therefrom and withdrawing oil 54 from the top portion of the container are successively repeated until the level of the settled foreign particles 52 rises to substantially the inlet of the conduit means 46 or the point of oil withdrawal. When the volume of the settled foreign particles thus substantially equals the difference between the volume of the container and the volume of each of the quantities of oil withdrawn from the top of the container, the drum 36 is substantially filled with foreign particles 52. After the crown 40 has been removed from the drum 36, the drum and its contents may be disposed of and discarded as a package.

When the mixture collected from the lapping disc of a lapping machine is introduced into the container 34, the abrasive particles and metal particles are permitted to settle in the drum 36, and the oil withdrawn from the container is suitable for remixing with abrasive particles. Since the oil represents about 90 percent by volume of the used mixture collected at the lapping machine, it should be apparent that the quantity of oil reclaimed is quite substantial. A standard drum 36 with a capacity of 55' gallons and a crown 40 with a capacity of 30 gallons have proved satisfactory for carrying out the principles of my present invention. A 30-gallon crQWn will accommodate that quantity of used mixture received from the lapping disc of a typical lapping machine during a period of approximately eight hours. Thus, if the lapping machine is used only eight hours a day, a single container 34 can be used daily until filled with foreign particles, the necessary settling of foreign particles taking place between successive days. On the other hand, if the lapping machine is used continuously in each twenty-four hour period, three drums 36 with attached crowns 40 may be alternately used in sequence until all are filled with foreign particles, the necessary settling of foreign particles taking place in two of the containers while the remaining container is receiving used mixture. It is to be also appreciated that the crown 40 is not discarded witht he drum 36 when the latter is filled with foreign particles, but rather may be reused and attached to successive drums indefinitely.

Used mixture 50 collected at the drain tube 32 of the lapping machine 10 may be manually transported to the container 34 and poured therein. Alternatively, as shown in FIGURE 1, used mixture 50 may be conveyed from the drain tube 32 to the container 34 through a conduit 56, of plastic tubing or the like, having pump means 58 interposed therein. For automatic operation, actuation of the pump 58 may be arranged to correspond to rotation of the lapping disc 14. In addition, a float member 60 may be mounted at the upper end of the crown 40 for actuating switch means located within a casing 62 and connected in the electrical circuit of signal means which may, for example, be in the form of a light bulb 64. When the float member is in its lowermost position, the switch means is open and the light bulb 64 remains unenergized. However, when the float member is elevated from its lowermost position as the mixture being introduced into the container 34 rises to a predetermined level near the top of the crown 40, the switch means is closed and the light bulb 64 is energized thereby giving warning that the container is filled and that the discharge end of the conduit 56 should be transferred to another container.

While I have shown and described what I believe to be a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of my present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various rearrangements and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. For use in separating oil from a mixture of oil and foreign particles, apparatus comprising an open top drum, an annular crown of substantially the same diameter as said drum, means for securing said crown to said drum coaxially thereof, conduit means extending through the wall of said crown adjacent the lower end thereof, said conduit means having an inlet opening interiorly of said drum below the plane of the open top of the latter and having an outlet opening exteriorly of said drum below the plane of said inlet opening to provide siphon means, and valve means at said outlet opening.

2. For use in separating oil from a mixture of oil and foreign particles, apparatus comprising an open top drum having a radially outwardly extending rim at the upper end thereof, an annular crown of substantially the same diameter as said drum and having a radially extending flange at the lower end thereof, clamp means for securing said rimof said drum and said flange of said crown together, conduit means extending through the wall of said crown adjacent the lower end thereof, said conduit means having an inlet opening interiorly of said drum below the plane of the open top of the latter and having an outlet opening exteriorly of said drum below the plane of said inlet opening to provide siphon means, and valve means at said outlet opening.

3. For use in separating oil from a mixture of oil and foreign particles, apparatus comprising an open top drum having a radially outwardly extending rim at the upper end thereof, an annular crown of substantially the same diameter as said drum and having a radially extending flange at the lower end thereof, clamp means for securing said rim of said drum and said flange of said crown together, conduit means extending through the wall of said crown adjacent the lower end thereof, said conduit means having an inlet interiorly of said drum below the plane of the open top of the latter and having an outlet exteriorly of said drum below the plane of said inlet, valve means at said outlet, float means at the upper end of said crown, and switch means actuated by said float means for operating signal means.

4. An attachment for an open top drum for use in separating liquid from a mixture of liquid and foreign particles, comprising an annular crown with the longitudinal axis thereof arranged to be vertically disposed, conduit means extending through the wall of said crown adjacent the lower end thereof, said conduit means having an inlet opening at the inner end thereof below the plane of the lower edge of said crown and having an outlet opening at the outer end thereof below the plane of said inlet opening to provide siphon means, and valve means at said outlet opening.

5. An attachment for an open top drum for use in separating liquid from a mixture of liquid and foreign particles, comprising an annular crown with the longitudinal axis thereof arranged to be vertically disposed,

said crown having a radially extending flange at the lower end thereof, conduit means extending through the wall of said crown adjacent the lower end thereof, said conduit means having an inlet opening at the inner end thereof below the plane of the lower edge of said crown and having an outlet opening at the outer end thereof below the plane of said inlet opening to provide siphon means, and valve means at said outlet opening.

6. The attachment of claim 5 including float means at the upper end of said crown, and switch means actuated by said float means for operating signal means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 710,325 9/1902 Kern et al. 26 1121 975,955 11/1910 Hughes 21083 X 1,406,950 2/ 1922 Fackert 210-83 1,708,118 4/1929 Carpenter et a1. 210-532 3,212,644 10/1965 Kemper 210532 FOREIGN PATENTS 511,186 10/1930 Germany.

REUBEN FRIEDMAN, Primary Examiner.

D. M. RIESS, Assistant Examiner. 

4. AN ATTACHMENT FOR AN OPEN TOP DRUM FOR USE IN SEPARATING LIQUID FROM A MIXTURE OF LIQUID AND FOREIGH PARTICLES, COMPRISING AN ANNULAR CROWN WITH THE LONGTIUDINAL AXIS THEREOF ARRANGED TO BE VERTICALLY DISPOSED, CONDUIT MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH THE WALL OF SAID CROWN ADJACENT THE LOWER END THEROF, SAID CONDUIT MEANS HAVING AN INLET OPENING AT THE INNER END THEREOF BELOW THE PLANE OF THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID CROWN AND HAVING AN OUTLET OPENING AT THE OUTER END THEREOF BELOW THE PLANE OF SAID INLET OPENING TO PROVIDE SIPHON MEANS, AND VALVE MEANS AT SAID OUTLET OPENING. 